Mayoral Call Ins and Affordable Homes

Sakina Sheikh: Can you provide data for how many extra affordable homes have been built as a result of Mayoral Call Ins since 2016?

The Mayor: The housing schemes that I have called in make a significant contribution to affordable housing. Overall, the applications I have called in and approved since 2016 will deliver 5,448 genuinely affordable homes for Londoners, with an uplift within this of 1,121 additional affordable homes compared to the number proposed when those cases were called in. It inevitably takes time to build out new developments, but a number of these schemes are currently under construction and due for completion shortly.

Protected Sightlines

Sakina Sheikh: How many planning applications have been modified as a result of Policy HC3 Strategic and Local Views in the London Plan?

The Mayor: Neither the boroughs nor the GLA monitor compliance with individual policies or modifications made to individual planning applications to achieve compliance with a specific policy because decisions on planning applications have to be made in accordance with the development plan as a whole.
In London the development plan is made up of my London Plan and the borough’s own adopted Local Plan. It is not unusual for development plan policies to pull in different directions on particular applications. In those circumstances, the local planning authority has to make a judgment bearing in mind such factors as the relative importance of the policies which are complied with or infringed, the extent of compliance or breach and any associated harm. Ultimately the issue is overall accordance with the development plan when read as a whole.

Listed Buildings

Sakina Sheikh: Is there scope for you to call in any proposed scheme that involved the demolition of a listed building? Would this be sound reasoning for calling in a scheme?

The Mayor: The Mayor of London Order (2008) sets out the criteria for applications to be referred to me along with the powers for me to call in planning applications. A scheme proposing the demolition of a listed building would in itself not be a ground for that scheme to be referred to me for my consideration or allow me to call it in. A listed building cannot be demolished, extended or altered without listed building consent from the local planning authority.

Urban Greening Factor LPG

Sakina Sheikh: How will your Urban Greening Factor LPG help to increase biodiversity and canopy cover in London?

The Mayor: Alongside London Plan Policy G5 Urban Greening, my Urban Greening Factor (UGF) LPG will ensure that major developments contribute to expanding London’s green infrastructure to help the city become greener, more biodiverse and more climate resilient. The guidance sets out how to apply the UGF tool to measure the quantity and quality of new greening that major developments propose, benchmarked against target scores, to ensure that the new greening delivered is sufficient, high quality and locally relevant. The UGF includes woodlands, trees and a range of habitats for wildlife in the greening options that developers can use to meet the target scores.
I have also published other information and tools to support developers and boroughs to implement the UGF LPG. This includes a green infrastructure focus map and a tree canopy cover map, as well as guidance on how to design urban greening to deliver biodiversity net gains.

Status of London Plan Guidance

Sakina Sheikh: Could you update me on the status of all the London Plan Guidance documents? Could you ensure this is clear on the GLA Website? The webpage was recently changed so the LPGs are listed by chapter of the London Plan, as opposed to their status as was previously the case.

The Mayor: The status of each London Plan Guidance (LPG) document is set out in the attached document.
For documents published before 2020, the term Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) was used rather than London Plan Guidance (LPG). A number of SPGs were retained when the London Plan 2021 was published, as they remain relevant to it. Over time, they will be updated and replaced by LPG. LPG has the same ‘weight’ in decision-making as SPG; the change in name reflects the more focussed approach being taken with new LPGs, and emphasises the specific relationship between the guidance and the London Plan.
The webpage for the guidance will be reviewed in order to ensure the status of each piece of guidance is clear.

The Mayor: MQ 5122 SPG appendix.docx

Addressing Disparities in Life expectancy

Onkar Sahota: How are you working to address the disparity in life expectancy rates between different boroughs, taking into account the factors of racial and socio-economic inequalities?

The Mayor: The latest data on life expectancy indicates a widening of the gap between the richest and the poorest. Looking at boroughs - while a man living in Westminster will live on average to 85, in Barking and Dagenham average life expectancy is just 77. Eight years’ difference. These differences are even greater when we look at more specific localities and communities.
On the 10th December I published a new implementation plan for the London Health Inequalities Strategy. It was developed working closely with the London Health Equity Group. It sets out my, and partners such as the NHS and local authorities, priorities for action on London’s health inequalities and outlines the actions we have committed to take on the social, environmental, and economic factors that drive them. Structural racism, poverty and the climate emergency are highlighted as top priorities, and work will be taking place across partners – local and regional – to deliver change.

Omicron Variant

Emma Best: What actions are you taking as Mayor of London to protect Londoners from the Omicron variant and ensure messaging on this new variant is consistent and helpful?

The Mayor: I have regular discussions with my Statutory Adviser for Health who is the Regional Director of Public Health, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Office for Health Disparities and the NHS to keep up to date on the current situation. UKHSA’s London Coronavirus Response Cell (LCRC) is carefully tracking rates of COVID-19, the progress of the pandemic, mitigations and control measures.
Information about the Omicron variant is still emerging. However, our best defences against the virus remain the same. The best thing Londoners can do is to book their COVID-19 vaccine or booster jab as soon as they can. Londoners should also continue to wash their hands regularly, wear face coverings on public transport and in enclosed public spaces, maintain social distancing as much as possible and test regularly.
I encourage all Londoners to follow the current Government guidance. I will continue to use the communication channels at my disposal to regularly share understandable and consistent information about staying safe, working in partnership with TfL, the NHS and other partners to amplify these important messages.

COVID-19 and Menstrual Cycle Changes Study

Emma Best: What actions are you taking in response to the draft study “COVID-19 vaccination and menstrual cycle changes: A United Kingdom (UK retrospective case-control study)”?

The Mayor: The MHRA monitors and rigorously evaluates reports of suspected vaccine side effects, and reviews and assesses other sources of safety information. Its most recent evaluation of reports of suspected side effects of period problems and unexpected vaginal bleeding does not suggest an increased risk of either menstrual disorders or unexpected vaginal bleeding following vaccination. The advice remains that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks for most people, and it is vitally important that people come forward for their first, second and booster vaccine doses when invited.
Women who experience changes to their periods that are unusual for them, that persist over time, or new vaginal bleeding after the menopause following COVID-19 vaccination, should contact their doctor. Also, as with any suspected side effects from COVID-19 vaccines, women are encouraged to report these via the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme. The MHRA is keeping this issue under review and every report received contributes to improving the safety of medicines.

Night Tube Reopening

Emma Best: When will you reopen the Night Tube in full?

The Mayor: TfL reintroduced Night Tube services on the Central and Victoria lines on Saturday 27 November. Night Overground services were reintroduced between Highbury and Islington and New Cross Gate on 17th December.
The re-introduction of Night Tube services on the other three lines has not yet been possible due to Night Tube train operators being seconded to support TfL’s busier day services to help the key workers who saved lives and kept the city running to get to work.
TfL is working to reintroduce the Night Tube on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines as soon as possible in the new year.

Section 136 of the Mental Health Act

Nicholas Rogers: For each year Dec 15 to Nov 16, Dec 16 to Nov 17, Dec 17 to Nov 18, Dec 18 to Nov 19, Dec 19 to Nov 20 and Dec 20 to Nov 21, please let me know the number of people detained each year under section 136 of the Mental Health Act. Please give overall figures for London and break down by borough.

The Mayor: This information is not held by the GLA. Data relating to this request can be found on the London Mental Health Dashboard here. The Dashboard contains Section 136 Assessments data available by Mental Health Trust from 2014/15 to 2019/20 and Section 136 Incidents data available by Borough from April 16 to July 18.
In order however, to obtain a full and accurate picture for the timeframes you have requested you would need to make an application to the Home Office at [emailprotected]

Housing completions

Tony Devenish: Are you concerned that London housing completions in Q3 of this year were 30% lower than in Q2, as recently reported by Molior London? What are you doing to address this?

The Mayor: I have noted the quarterly report from Molior, and will continue to monitor the data from this and other sources.
I believe it is too soon at this point to draw any significant conclusions and would note that their data also reports an increase in the number of commencements in the same period and an increased number of sales.
This suggest that supply and different indicators may currently be erratic and the GLA is continuing to monitor and build further monitoring capability to assess the situation prior to making any decisions about policy interventions.

COVID-19 Booster Jab Programme

Emma Best: As the COVID-19 booster jab programme expands, what new actions are you taking to improve vaccination take-up across London and address London’s status as having the highest unvaccinated rate in the UK?

The Mayor: The GLA continues to work closely with partners,including London Councils, UK Health Security Agency, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the NHS, community and faith groups, businesses, unions, London and BAME media, and influencers to ensure we are reaching hesitant Londoners.
Throughout the campaign, we have been focusing our work on reaching the most hesitant in the eligible cohorts,most recently focusing on the younger cohort (under 35s), as well as specific minority communities who have shown hesitation. Over the winter months we will be working with partners to plan the next phase of the campaign, in order to encourage uptake of the booster jab, as well as increase uptake among those that have not yet come forward for their vaccine.
We are continuing to raise issues of barriers to vaccination across the range of meetings that we are involved in.

London Ambulance Service Waiting Times

Emma Best: How will you be working with the London Ambulance Service to tackle long wait times, in light of the latest figures which show paramedics are taking an average of 33 minutes to reach Londoners suffering a heart attack?

The Mayor: The London Ambulance Service (LAS), along with all Ambulance Trusts across England, are currently operating at their highest level of escalation. Since the start of the Summer LAS has been consistently receiving more than 6,000 999 calls every day, and on some busier days that has risen to more than 7,000 calls. Before the pandemic, a usually busy day would be around 5,500 calls.
I regularly meet with the Chair and the Chief Executive of the LAS to discuss waiting times and other issues which are affecting service delivery. They are doing a number of things to relieve pressures on the service during this busy time. These include having more specialist clinicians supporting 999 teams, helping to treat more people over the phone, guiding people to more appropriate care pathways and working closely with system partners, such as hospitals, to avoid handover delays.

Proposed Development by the City of London Corporation on Land at Sydenham Hill Estate, Sydenham Hill (3)

Caroline Pidgeon: Are you aware that the City of London Corporation planners of the Sydenham Hill development claimed that a smaller less harmful development would not be viable, but have never presented any viability evidence, despite the fact that your Good Practice Guide For Estate Regeneration states that "all estate regeneration schemes are required under the Mayor’s draft London Plan (2017) to follow a ‘Viability Tested Route’ to planning permission.”?

The Mayor: I do not have any powers to comment or intervene on any application that does not meet the criteria for referral to me under the Mayor of London Order (2008). In this instance responsibility for the decision on the planning application rested with Lewisham Council as local planning authority. The scheme was approved by Lewisham Planning Committee on 29 June and in reaching its decision the Local Planning Authority would have had to consider the scheme against both the planning policies in their local plan and in my London Plan.

Conservation Officer

Sakina Sheikh: Will you consider appointing a Conservation Officer to the GLA to advise on planning applications?

The Mayor: A heritage officer post has been included in the Planning Team budget going forward and the process to create this post is underway. It is intended to undertake a recruitment campaign early next year with the intention to fill the post as soon as possible.

Monitoring of Affordable Housing Delivery

Sem Moema: How are your officers monitoring construction projects to ensure they are delivering on the minimum amount of affordable housing as outlined in the London Plan?

The Mayor: My London Plan 2021 will be monitored against a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) as set out in Chapter 12 of that Plan - including one measuring affordable housing - which will be reported in future Annual Monitoring Reports (AMR). Policy H7 in the Plan also requires boroughs to undertake a clear monitoring process to ensure that affordable homes are delivered in accordance with planning permissions, and to make this information public.
The GLA also monitors the level of affordable housing in strategic planning applications that are referred to City Hall. A recent review found that average affordable housing levels for such schemes had increased to 40 per cent in 2020 up from 22 per cent in 2016. More widely, my London Plan is boosting affordable housing supply through the ‘Threshold Approach’ which incentivises developers to provide more affordable housing whilst also speeding up the planning process.

Proposed Development by the City of London Corporation on Land at Sydenham Hill Estate, Sydenham Hill (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: Are you satisfied that the applicant has demonstrated that the development does not impact on the neighbouring listed estate and adjacent conservation area and will not cause harm to their setting and character, further to the professional advice received by the GLA as set out in the heritage documentation revealed in the Freedom of Information request MGLA240820-1964?

The Mayor: I do not have any powers to comment or intervene on any application that does not meet the criteria for referral to me under the Mayor of London Order (2008). In this instance, responsibility for the decision on the planning application rested with Lewisham Council as local planning authority. The scheme was approved by Lewisham planning committee on 29 June and in reaching its decision the local planning authority would have had to consider the scheme against both the planning policies in their local plan and in my London Plan.

Proposed Development by the City of London Corporation on Land at Sydenham Hill Estate, Sydenham Hill (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: Are you satisfied that the proposed redevelopment of Mais House is compatible with the assumptions made in the GLA’s recommendations set out in correspondence from the Freedom of Information request MGLA240820-1964?

The Mayor: The GLA recommendations in the disclosed pre-application report related to a scheme that would have been referrable to me for my consideration. In response to comments made during the pre-application process, revisions were made which meant the scheme no longer met the criteria for a referable application as set out in the Mayor of London Order (2008). I do not have any powers to comment or intervene on any application that does not meet the criteria for referral. In this instance responsibility for the decision on the planning application rested with Lewisham Council as local planning authority. The scheme was approved by Lewisham planning committee on 29 June and in reaching its decision the local planning authority would have had to consider the scheme against both the planning policies in their local plan and in my London Plan.

Earlier closure of COVID-19 testing centres

Onkar Sahota: Are you concerned about the earlier closure of London’s COVID-19 testing centres at 6pm? Have you had any discussions about this with London’s NHS and public health leaders and its potential impact on testing uptake?

The Mayor: I meet regularly withmy statutory health advisor, public health partners and the NHS to discuss the ongoing situation.Testing rates are monitored closely and have remained relatively stable in London since July, with increases in recent weeks. The decision to change COVID-19 testing centre opening times was made nationally in early November.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) continue to monitor test centre utilisation and deploy additional testing capacity using mobile testing units where it is high to ensure there is easy access to testing for anyone who has symptoms.

Operation Rampdown (1)

Onkar Sahota: Are you concerned about the Government’s plans to dismantle the Test and Trace system under Operation Rampdown and have you had conversations with London’s NHS and public health leaders about this?

The Mayor: The Test and Trace system has proved invaluable during the emergence of variants, including the new Omicron variant, and so I would be concerned about any plans to dismantle that system prematurely. I am briefed regularly by the leadership of the NHS and public health in London and discuss issues related to COVID-19. this includes the preparedness and resilience of the NHS and public health system in the face of the ongoing pandemic. To date we have not discussed Operation Rampdown, the leaked official Covid 'exit plan', or any plans to dismantle Test and Trace. I will raise the issue with my Statutory Health Adviser at the next opportunity.

Operation Rampdown (2)

Onkar Sahota: Do you believe that lateral flow test kits should be provided free of charge to Londoners and the £500 self-isolation support payments for Londoners on low incomes should remain in place as long as COVID-19 cases remain high?

The Mayor: Access to free lateral flow test kits and the financial support payments for self-isolation for Londoners on low incomes are both critical to ensure that we do not widen health inequalities through the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Currently they both remain available free of charge.
The ‘COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan 2021’ stated that the Government would continue to provide the public with access to free lateral flow tests in the coming months, but that, at a later stage, as the Government’s response to the virus changes, universal free provision of LFDs would end. While cases remain high, I will continue to advocate for free access to lateral flow test kits.

Wellbeing Ambassadors

Onkar Sahota: How are you working with Thrive LDN to ensure that the quarter of a million Wellbeing Ambassadors you plan to recruit are from diverse backgrounds and represent LGBTQ+ and disabled communities?

The Mayor: As our delivery partner for the Mental Health and Wellbeing recovery mission, Thrive LDN will build on champions networks already in existence across a wide range of communities. Mapping and community engagement will help identify where key gaps or groups are not yet involved in champions work. This will ensure recruitment of a diverse range of wellbeing champions which reflect and support the many diverse communities that make up our city. This builds on existing work to help Londoners access wellbeing training and resources to develop their resilience, skills and knowledge, as many have done already by becoming Youth Mental Health First Aiders or taking the #ZeroSuicideLDN suicide prevention training.
This mission will be influenced by and build upon Thrive LDN’s established work with diverse groups through the Mayoral funded Right to Thrive Innovation Fund. The Fund awards small grants to community and grassroots projects which help support the mental health and wellbeing of those who are experiencing higher levels of unfair treatment and discrimination such as LGBTQ+ Londoners and deaf and disabled Londoners.

Improving Vaccine Uptake

Onkar Sahota: With the rollout of the booster jab, how are you working with London’s NHS and the Government to ensure the ‘evergreen offer’ of the COVID-19 vaccine continues to be made to communities in the capital with a low uptake rate of first and second doses?

The Mayor: The GLA continues to work closely with partners,including London Councils, UK Health Security Agency, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the NHS, community and faith groups, businesses, unions, London and BAME media, and influencers to ensure the evergreen offer is available to all in London. Steady pace in hyperlocal evergreens continues as individuals continue to come forward.
Throughout the campaign, we have been focusing our work on reaching the most hesitant in the eligible cohorts,most recently focusing on the younger cohort (under 35s), as well as specific minority communities who have shown hesitation. Over the winter months we will be working with partners to plan the next phase of the campaign, in order to encourage uptake of the booster jab, as well as increase uptake among those that have not yet come forward for their vaccine.
We are continuing to raise issues of barriers to vaccination across the range of meetings that we are involved in.

Tacking Childhood Obesity

Onkar Sahota: The latest NHS figures show that London has the highest rate of underweight children and second highest rate of severely obese children in the country. Can you provide an update on how your Food Strategy and London’s Child Obesity Taskforce is working to address this issue?

The Mayor: Child obesity rates remain a serious concern for London having been exacerbated by the pandemic. Although the formal term of London’s Child Obesity Taskforce ends this year, the group will transition into an advisory group on child healthy weight, providing expert advice to support the latest Health Inequalities Strategy implementation plan and the London recovery programme.
London is a diverse city, prevalence of both overweight and underweight children reflects a diverse range of needs. The ‘Healthy Place, Healthy Weight’ recovery mission is taking a whole systems approach to create healthy environments that support the health and weight of all children and families. The mission will support a number of initiatives included in the London Food Strategy, including the Healthier Catering Commitment and infant feeding. Work to support child health continues through the Healthy Early years and Healthy schools’ programmes and initiatives such as water only schools and the expansion of School Superzones.

Farming in London’s Green Belt (1)

Emma Best: Please can you give an update on how you have delivered on a recommendation included in the Farming in London’s Green Belt report that asked you to explore creating a new brand called Grown in London to support the capital’s farmers?

The Mayor: Interest in food provenance is high amongst many Londoners. That is why the London Food Strategy champions a range of accreditation schemes so that people can make choices with confidence that high welfare and ethical standards are being met. I do not have any plans to add to the wide range of accreditation schemes on the market.
More widely, my officers worked with Sustain to organise a fringe farming event in February 2020. This resulted in a London Fringe Farming working party being established to share experiences and ideas on how to access land to grow food, increase markets for this food and create the skills needed to grow food at scale on London’s urban fringe.

Junk Food Advertising Ban

Andrew Boff: What was the outcome of the independent evaluation of the TfL junk food advertising ban being conducted by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine which was due to be published by Spring 2021?

The Mayor: The evaluation team at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is in the process of publishing several independently funded policy evaluation reports. This includes a process evaluation; analysis of media coverage of the TfL advertising restrictions in UK newspapers and trade press; and an analysis and assessment of exposure to HFSS advertising by socioeconomic group. The final impact analysis paper has now been submitted to The Public Library of Science and, subject to formal peer review, will be published in the New Year.

Opportunity Areas

Andrew Boff: Could you please provide an update on the number of homes started and completed in each of the London Plan Opportunity Areas, in each financial year since they were established?

The Mayor: Please see the attached spreadsheet for the number of homes started and completed in each of the London Plan Opportunity Areas, in each financial year since they were established.
The Opportunity Area (OA) website pages on London.gov.uk have been updated and can be accessed here. The website now includes information on progress in each Opportunity Area.

The Mayor: MQ 4865 OA appendix.xlsx

Farming in London’s Green Belt (3)

Emma Best: The Farming in London’s Green Belt, Environment Committee Report recommended that you should explore, with London Councils, outer London local authorities or other collaborators, the potential to operate an accessible database of agricultural land ownership and availability. Please can you provide an update on the work done to deliver this recommendation?

The Mayor: Collaboration on strategic cross-boundary matters such as Green Belt takes place through the preparation of Local Plans and my officers engage positively and closely with authorities to support this. The strong protection for London’s Green Belt in the London Plan provides the appropriate framework for protecting and enhancing positive uses of the Green Belt, including farming, into the future.
I am not planning to take forward the recommendation to establish an agricultural land ownership and availability database. Developing such a database would be a major undertaking which would require considerable resource to manage and maintain.

Farming in London’s Green Belt (2)

Emma Best: Could you set out how you are supporting London’s farmers against the threat they face from local authorities that want to de-designate Green Belt land where many of London’s farms are located?

The Mayor: I am clear about the importance of the Green Belt and my London Plan provides strong protection for London’s Green Belt. Policy G2 protects the many positive uses of the Green Belt which benefit London and Londoners – and this includes farming and food growing. Local authorities may only de-designate Green Belt land where they are able to demonstrate exceptional circumstances, through the preparation or review of a Local Plan.
Authorities therefore need to explore all available and suitable brownfield land opportunities to accommodate growth and exhaust these options or rule them out for appropriate reasons before making any case for exceptional circumstances as justification for Green Belt release. This will be a matter for an independent Planning Inspector to determine through the process of examination of a Local Plan.

Surge testing for coronavirus variants of concern

Caroline Russell: What plans do you have to support surge testingin London, if necessary, to help control transmission of coronavirus, and specifically, variants of concern like Omicron?

The Mayor: I am closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation in London including the rapidly evolving impact of Omicron. I meet regularly with my Strategic Health Adviser and other partners from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Office for Health Disparities (OHID) and the NHS who update me on the ongoing situation. This includes dataon testing including local surge testing for variants of concerns which are actively monitored.
The UKHSA London regional team organise and recommend surge testing in London. Targeted PCR testing for contacts is taking place in response to confirmed cases of the Omicron variant, and UKHSA are targeting specific locations where we believe that known cases and their contacts may have visited when they were likely to have been infectious. This settings-based testing is being carried out with the support of Mobile Testing Units with UKHSA Regional teams and Local Authorities working together.

Omicron coronavirus and Variants of Concern Control Board

Caroline Russell: What advice have you had from the Variants of Concern Control Board about the new coronavirus variant Omicron on how to protect Londoners from the variant and reducing transmission?

The Mayor: Although the Variants of Concern Control Board has been stood down, I continue to meet regularly with my Statutory Health Advisor who keeps me informed of the Covid-19 pandemic including variants of concern such as the Omicron variant. As the Regional Director for London for UKHSA and OHID, he provides partners and me with a daily epidemiology briefing about the COVID pandemic and continues to closely monitor the situation along with national government. He has been able to quickly brief me on this emerging situation and the 5 pillars to protect Londoners and reduce transmission – prevention; testing; self-isolation; vaccination and adherence to guidance re international travel mitigation.
In addition, my Statutory Health Advisor and I continue to work closely with NHS England colleagues to understand the impact of the pandemic and the control measures on the resilience of health and social care services for Londoners.

Coronavirus vaccine booster programme for Londoners

Caroline Russell: Are you concerned about the slow start to London’s coronavirus vaccine booster campaign, which was highlighted in the Evening Standard, and what plans do you have to help speed up the rollout of boosters?

The Mayor: From the start of the booster roll-out, London has been the leading region in England for booster-take up amongst the eligible population. More than 2.3 million Londoners have now received their COVID booster jabs.
This December, half a million more appointments will be available in every borough of the city, with even more hospital hubs joining the mission to get London vaccinated. Existing hospital hubs, vaccination centres, pharmacies, GP surgeries and community pop ups will also be stepping up capacity to deliver jabs across the city, making it even more convenient for Londoners to get their first, second or booster jab. This comes following the announcement that more people will start to become eligible for the vaccine in the coming weeks.

Improving access to general healthcare for trans and gender-diverse Londoners

Caroline Russell: What action have you taken over the past year to improve access to general healthcare for trans and gender-diverse Londoners?

The Mayor: I am delighted that the Health Committee has started an inquiry into access to healthcare for trans and gender diverse people. While I have no powers or responsibility for the commissioning or provision of health or care services, I regularly advocate with the health and care system to improve services for all Londoners, particularly where health inequalities exist. My officers have written recently to senior leaders in the NHS about access to health care for trans and gender-diverse Londoners and they will let you know the outcome of their enquiries.

Plans to combat coronavirus this winter

Caroline Russell: What are your plans to protect Londoners from coronavirus transmission this winter?

The Mayor: I have regular discussions with my Statutory Adviser for Health who is the Regional Director of Public Health, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Office for Health Disparities and the NHS to keep up to date on the current situation. UKHSA’s London Coronavirus Response Cell (LCRC) is carefully tracking rates of COVID-19, the progress of the pandemic, mitigations and control measures.
Information about the Omicron variant is still emerging. However, our best defences against the virus remain the same. The best thing Londoners can do keep themselves and their loved ones safe this winter is to book their COVID-19 vaccine or booster jab as soon as they can. Londoners should also continue to wash their hands regularly, wear face coverings on public transport, shops and in enclosed public spaces, maintain social distancing as much as possible and test regularly.
I encourage all Londoners to follow the current Government guidance. I will continue toshare understandable and consistent information about staying safe, working with TfL, the NHS and other partners to amplify these important messages.